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Thursday, August 22, 2013

As Simple as ABC

An idea popped into my head
during a lovely nap on Saturday (though of course once the idea arrived, the
nap had to be cut short which was most unfortunate.)

This particular idea indicated it
would like to be told as an alphabet book in rhyme. A very demanding idea
indeed!

I have not attempted an alphabet
book yet. I admit it seemed like a reasonably easy endeavor. One only needs to
think of 26 appropriately named items. And weave them in a story arc. And incorporate them in alphabetical
order. And find a way to tie it in with perfect
rhyme. Easy Peasy!

(by wbd via sxc.hu)

As I sat at my desk (having
abandoned the napping couch) trying to figure out the perfect word which
started with "A," I realized I had been hoodwinked! The alphabet book
is a challenging form full of rules. Though some rules can be broken, I fear
starting an alphabet book with "A" is one you can't mess with.

Luckily an "A" word
finally appeared and helped to define the narrative even better. Through the weekend I came up with words to
fit 20 letters and a fun story!

But then...I arrived at the point
ABC aficionados must have a name for - perhaps "The Dreaded UVWXYZ"
or "The Point of Diminishing Options." I had neglected to create a story involving ukuleles,
xylophones, and zebras, causing quite a lot of trouble.

Finally, late last night I had an
idea for "Z" which wasn't in the crossword solver list I had scanned
repeatedly for days and in a fit of excitement I quite literally tossed my
notebook in the air and yelled "that's it!" This is one of those many
times the non-writer sleeping next to you gives you a very odd glance and
grumbles. (This does happen to everyone, right?)

Now rhyming this story is no
small task, and I know from experience it is unwise to invest in perfecting
couplets if you may need to completely rewrite all of them. 'Tis a painful
editing exercise indeed! So I'm thinking
about writing the story in prose first, offering it to the critique group, and
then developing the rhyme.

Ahh, great things come out of "exercises in writing." That's how I came up with Fishing ABC story. Google was my best friend for finding words. Writing it in prose first is an excellent way to start. The Metermaids offered that important tip!BTW, congratulations, you two-timing Lucky Clover Winner!!!